There are countless books about every aspect of JFK's life—his youth, military service, presidency, Vietnam policy, Anglophilia and Cold War brinksmanship but surprisingly few good single-volume biographies of his entire life. Robert Dallek's is the best. He was the first historian to gain access to Kennedy's medical records, and when "An Unfinished Life" was published, its revelations about the perilous state of Kennedy's health received the most attention. But the book also persuasively refutes some of the more egregious charges by revisionists—such as the allegation that in Kennedy's presidency he remained a reckless and obstinate Cold Warrior. Dallek's most valuable contribution, though, is his portrait of a flawed but courageous leader who was determined to be judged a great man by the high court of history.